"Birds of Pray"

Chapter 7

"Revelations"

Not long after the men from Sears departed, the doorbell rang again.

"Now who could that be?" Katherine wondered, leaving Gabriel in the kitchen with the new air purifier while she went to find out. "Don't even think about touching that, Gabriel!" she called over her shoulder as she opened the door.

"Surprise!" Greg said, beaming at her. He had one hand hidden behind his back.

"Greg!" she exclaimed happily, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him soundly. "Why aren't you at work?"

"Got a little break," he said, and sneezed. "What's with the feather?" he asked, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "You know I'm allergic!"

She reached up and felt the feather behind her right ear, completely forgotten until now.

"Sorry," she said, removing it. "I forgot I had it there." She smiled wryly. "And anyway, it's not like I was expecting you!"

"True," he agreed with a nod. "Man, that thing's huge! Where'd you get it?"

"Gabriel," she said shortly, hoping he wouldn't press her for more information.

"Figures! He knows I'm allergic to birds, and so what's he do? Runs out and gets you a feather from the world's biggest one!"

Katherine laughed. "Not quite… but close." She absently drew the feather between her fingers as she spoke. "Greg… what do you have behind your back?"

He grinned. "I just got a little break… not long, but long enough to take you out to celebrate."

She was puzzled. "Celebrate?"

"I made partner!"

Her face lit up. "Greg! That's wonderful! I wish I had some champagne – "

He produced a bottle from behind his back. "Done!"

"Perfect!" she said, laughing. "Come on, let's have some before we go."

She led him into the kitchen, where Gabriel was once again absorbed in the New York Post.

"What's up, Gabe?" Greg asked amiably.

"Gregory," Gabriel said, looking up from the tabloid. "You're aren't at work."

"Wow… there's just no fooling you, is there Sport?" he asked, and sneezed.

"Ah ha!" Katherine said happily. She put the long white feather down on the table. "Let's try this out!" She bent and moved the portable air purifier close to Gabriel and switched it on. The angel leaned forward in his chair and studied the little appliance.

"Leave it alone," Katherine told him in a warning tone. She went to the cupboard and produced three champagne glasses. "Want to pop that?" she asked Greg.

"Sure."

"We're celebrating," Katherine told Gabriel, handing him a glass. "Greg made partner."

Gabriel made one of his noises: hhhuhnnn.

"Be nice," she warned him. Behind her, Greg popped the champagne cork and began pouring out the bubbly liquid.

"Here," he said, handing her a glass. "What's that stuff on your fingers?" he asked with a frown.

"I don't know," she replied, staring down at her hands. They appeared to be dusted with a fine white iridescent powder.

"It's in your hair, too," he told her, pointing at her right temple where the big white feather had been. "And on your nose… right there." He tapped her nose just as Gabriel had done earlier, and suddenly she understood.

"Powder Down Birds," she said under her breath. "Damn."

"What?" Greg asked, puzzled.

"Nothing," she sighed. Powder Down Birds were, she recalled from her visit to the pet store, the birds that produced and spread the most allergens. And so naturally, Gabriel had to be one. It was just her luck. She went to the sink to wash her hands.

"You drinkin', Gabe?" Greg asked, offering the bottle. Gabriel held out his glass to be filled, and Greg sneezed again, violently.

"That thing works great, Katherine!" Gabriel observed dryly.

"Want some Benadryl?" she asked Greg, ignoring the angel.

"Yeah, I guess."

She went to the cupboard where she had stashed a box of the antihistamines just in case.

"Here," she said, punching the little pink pills out of their foil wrapper into his outstretched hand.

"Thanks," he said, sniffling. "I don't understand why I've been having these allergy attacks at your house lately!"

"The feather, maybe?" she suggested, pointing at it.

"You didn't have it the other night," he reminded her. "Did you?"

"Uh…" She raised her glass. "How about a toast? To the firm of Garrett, Watson, Marcus… and Bailey!"

"Hear hear!" Greg said with a laugh, clinking his glass against hers. "That's music to my ears!" He popped the little pink pills into his mouth and followed them with a gulp of champagne.

"And to all the criminals they help get off the hook," Gabriel added, clinking his glass against theirs and drinking deeply.

Katherine glared at him. "Gabriel – "

"And to Altman, who got away with it," Gabriel continued, glancing at Katherine. "Do you think we should drink to poor little Rebecca, and to those four little girls he raped and murdered… or would that be in bad taste?"

"I should've known I could count on you, Gabe," Greg said ironically. "So how'd you know about Altman? I was saving that victory to surprise her with over dinner.

Gabriel shrugged. "Aaaah, I know things." He caught Katherine's eye. "Don't I, Katherine?"

She looked at the floor, saying nothing.

"Want to go, Katie-Kate?" Greg asked.

"Is that why they made you partner, Greg?" she asked quietly. "Because you got Altman off?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling. "That was a big case, and I was able to – "

"Greg…" She shook her head, not sure how to continue. "I'm sorry, but I don't really want to hear about how Altman is a free man, OK? I know you're a great lawyer and that getting him off is a big coup for you, but…" She shrugged. "I just can't stand the thought of him out there, walking the streets. In fact, it makes me want to throw up!"

"But I told you, he didn't do it!"

Katherine sighed. "I know you did, Greg. And I know you believe that… or at least, I hope you do. I hope that's why you fought so hard to – "

Greg frowned. "You've been listening to him, haven't you?" he asked, gesturing at Gabriel, who was watching this exchange with obvious interest.

"Leave Gabriel out of it."

"He's trying to poison you against me!"

"No he's not," she said quietly. She was silent for a long moment. "Let me go fix my hair and change… and then we'll go eat. Somewhere nice, to celebrate. All right?"

"Sure," Greg agreed, sounding subdued.

As Katherine walked out of the kitchen, she heard Greg say, "Thanks a lot, Gabe!"

"I'm always glad to help, Gregory," was the tranquil reply.

On her way to her bedroom, Katherine paused outside the guest room. The door was ajar.

She had offered Gabriel the room and she wondered now if he had actually been using it. She put her hand on the door and peeked inside, her jaw dropping in dismayed astonishment at what she saw.

"Well," she sighed, "I didn't explicitly tell him not to write all over the walls…"

The light blue walls – as well as the eggshell ceiling – were now decorated with symbols that looked to have been drawn with a thick black felt-tipped marker. Every available space was covered with what she recognized as angelic script, and she wondered briefly what it said, what it meant… and why he'd done it.

She realized suddenly that she literally knew nothing of his species and their culture. Perhaps this is what angels did – decorated their living spaces with tales of their exploits. Or Bible verses. Or dirty limericks.

This last made her giggle, but she soon stopped when she saw a little pile of white feathers sitting on the end of the bed. With a little frown of concern, she went to investigate.

He did say he's molting, she reminded herself.

On the top of the pile was a broken feather tinged with the dark red of dried blood.

"Oh… that can't be good," she murmured, picking it up and inspecting it.

The entire length of the shaft was filled with dried blood, signifying that it must have contained living tissue when it had broken. The end of the quill was covered with dried blood too; clearly it hadn't fallen out on its own. No, it must have been pulled out.

Katherine sucked in air between her teeth. Ouch, she winced in sympathy, for although she didn't know much about being a bird, she recognized something that had to have hurt like hell when she saw it.

She put the broken, bloody feather back where she'd found it and slipped from the room, shutting the door behind her.

Katherine quickly realized that no amount of brushing would remove the bird dust from her hair. Spurred on by horrifying thoughts of the appalling things that an unsupervised Gabriel might be saying to her hapless boyfriend, she hurried through the fastest shampoo and shower of her life.

When she finally entered the kitchen twenty minutes later, she found Greg and the angel engaged in a heated discussion about the Arizona Cardinals. Greg was certain that they'd make it all the way to the Super Bowl this year. Naturally, Gabriel disagreed.

But at least they weren't tearing each other's eyes out over it.

Greg was ticking names off on his fingers as he spoke. "Look, Gabe, we've got McGowan, Warner, McCoy – "

"Aaaah, they all stink," Gabriel said dismissively.

Katherine found sports about as entertaining as watching paint dry, and so she had no idea if the angel was truly knowledgeable about football or if he was just automatically contradicting everything Greg said.

"You wait and see," Greg was saying. "We're going to pound Denver into the ground next week!"

"Naaaah, it'll never happen."

"Are you kidding? Denver'll never beat us – it's more likely you'd sprout wings and fly!"

Gabriel's expressing underwent a remarkable transformation: He suddenly looked like he was trying not to laugh. "I guess we agree after all," he finally managed.

This seemed like a good time to step in. "OK, boys," Katherine interrupted, holding up her hand. "Enough sports talk!"

"Wow, you look terrific, Katie-Kate!"

"Thank you," she said, smiling.

"Gabe, doesn't she look great?" Greg asked, beaming proudly.

Gabriel shrugged. "Yeah, I guess," he agreed noncommittally.

"Oh gee, Gabriel… I bet you say that to all the girls," Katherine said dryly. "You big flatterer you!"

Greg laughed. "You must be a real hit with the ladies, Sport!"

"Huh." Gabriel cocked his head and studied Greg thoughtfully for a moment and then came to his feet, closing the space between himself and Katherine in one long smooth stride.

He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips for a kiss. "Katherine," he purred in a seductive tone that she had never heard him use before. "Next to you, Cleopatra was an ugly hag… and I should know!"

This made her giggle, her free hand coming up to cover her mouth. "Why thank you, Gabriel!"

Still holding her hand in his, he bent close and spoke directly into her ear, his voice low and husky. "That question you asked me this morning… the answer is yes."

Katherine's eyes opened wide in astonishment and she felt her cheeks flush scarlet as he released her hand and moved away. He turned to face her as he walked, still talking as he backed toward the kitchen door. "In a heartbeat."

"Uh… " She looked at the floor and cleared her throat, trying to compose herself. "Well… um… yeah. Gabriel. OK. Thank you."

She was obviously flustered, and Gabriel smiled with satisfaction. "Have fun tonight, you kids," he said brightly, and was gone.

"Now that was interesting!" Greg observed, looking amused. "What in the world did he say to you?"

She shook her head. "Nothing you'd understand," she replied, and was alarmed by how her voice shook and wavered. She cleared her throat again. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yeah, sure."

She tried on a smile. "All right – let's go celebrate!"

All through dinner, Katherine's mind kept returning to Gabriel and all of the alarming things he had said.

That Altman was a child rapist and murderer was abundantly clear – she didn't doubt it one bit. It disturbed her deeply that Greg had helped put that piece of filth back on the streets and had even gotten himself a promotion in the process.

And the other things the angel had said… well, she wasn't even going to think about that now. Maybe not ever.

"Katie-Kate?" Greg's voice brought her back to the present.

"Sorry, I was a million miles away," she apologized.

"Yeah, I noticed! So do you want dessert or not?"

"I don't know…" she hesitated.

"Go ahead, indulge! We're celebrating!"

"Right," she agreed grimly. "We're celebrating."

"Hey, if you're still upset about Altman – "

She held up her hands. "The last thing I want to talk about is Altman! It just makes me sick, Greg."

"I promise you, he's not – "

"Greg, I said I don't want to talk about it," she said with finality.

But of course he had to try again. "What makes you so sure that Gabriel's right about him, Katie? Come on, tell me." He reached across the table and took her hand. "I know there's something going on with that guy that you're not telling me about – "

Her head jerked up. "What? I've never cheated on you – ever! With anyone – and certainly not with Gabriel! The very idea is just – "Tantalizing, that snarky voice in her head whispered. " – preposterous!" she finished. The answer is yes she heard Gabriel say in her mind, and she picked up her wineglass and took a quick gulp.

Greg was laughing. "I didn't mean it that way!"

"Then how did you mean it?"

"Who is he, Katie? Who is he really?"

She shrugged. "I told you – a guy I met in Chimney Rock."

"Uh huh," he said, nodding. "And how'd you meet, exactly?"

"That's a long story."

"I've got nothing but time, my dear."

She sighed. "Not tonight, Greg. OK?"

He leaned back in his chair. "Actually, I have my own theory about your pal."

She looked amused. "Oh? And what's that?"

"I think he's a New York crime boss."

She actually laughed. "Oh Greg… that's too funny! A New York crime boss… where do you come up with this stuff?"

"Well, it explains everything," he said smugly. "That accent of his, and why he's so secretive, and how he knows about criminal activity – "

"You said Altman's not guilty," she pointed out.

"And you seem to think that he is because Gabriel says so – in fact, you believe that guy over me, your own boyfriend!"

"Too bad he's not really a crime boss, Greg – you could represent him when he got arrested! That'd be right up your alley, wouldn't it?"

"Or… I know," he continued, not rising to her bait. "He's one of those psychics, right? Those guys who go to the cops, saying they know where bodies are buried!"

"No, Greg," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "He's not a psychic."

"So tell me… what is he, Katie?"

For a moment, she gave serious consideration to telling him everything – but she knew how insane the story would sound, and she just didn't have the mental energy to deal with trying to prove it, trying to convince him. "Greg… I can't. Not tonight."

"Soon, though. OK?"

She nodded. "Soon," she promised.

"All right." He motioned to the waiter. "Check, please."

The house was dark when they returned, the only light coming from a second floor window that Katherine recognized as the guest room.

"I hope he didn't figure out a way to draw on the carpeting, too," she muttered.

"What?" Greg asked as he parked the car.

"Oh, Gabriel wrote all over the walls in my guest bedroom," she said offhandedly as they got out.

"He did?"

"Yeah."

Greg slammed his car door. "Katie, that's… that's just weird."

She sighed. "I know."

"What did he write?" Greg asked, curious.

"Oh, who knows? It's in another language."

Greg shook his head. "That guy just gets weirder and weirder, doesn't he?"

"Yeah," she agreed. "He sure does."

"Well, let's go see what he's up to now," Greg said with a laugh.

"I'm almost afraid to find out!"

They heard the singing when they got in the house.

"Come fly with me, let's take off in the blue!" Gabriel sang from somewhere upstairs.

"Frank Sinatra is spinning in his grave," Greg observed as they climbed the steps. Katherine giggled.

"Once I get yoooou up therrre, I'll be holding yoooou so near, yoooou may hear angels cheer 'cause we're together!"

The singing was coming from the bathroom door, which stood open.

"Come fly with me, come fly we'll fly awaaaaaay – "

They reached the doorway. "Gabriel, I – " she began, and then let out a shriek and covered her eyes.

Gabriel was standing at the sink, completely naked. He was shaving, using soap and the edge of a very sharp-looking knife.

"Whoa, Sport – put the snake back in his cage, huh?" Greg said, looking away.

"Sorry," Gabriel apologized. "I didn't hear you guys come in."

"It's no wonder – you were singing at the top of your lungs!" Katherine said. "So, is it safe to look?"

"Yeah," he said, laughing. "I think so."

"Good grief, what a sight," Katherine said as she cautiously uncovered her eyes. He'd wrapped a towel around his waist, thank God.

"And we just ate, too," Greg joked.

The smell of clean, wet bird was nearly overpowering in the small steamy bathroom. "Greg – you're not sneezing," Katherine suddenly said, obviously surprised.

"Should I be?" Greg asked curiously.

"Um, well – "

"Look, it's been fun," Gabriel interrupted, unexpectedly coming to her rescue. "And I'd let you two stay and watch, but that's not really my thing… you know?"

Katherine blushed deeply, while Greg just laughed.

"OK, Gabe… we'll let you take care of business. Sorry we walked in on you, man."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry, Gabriel," Katherine apologized, still mortified.

"Aaaah, it's my own fault… I should've shut the door."

"Something to keep in mind for next time," Katherine told him as she walked out with Greg.

"You bet. Good night, kids," he said, and closed the door.

Later, as Katherine lay in the dark with Greg sleeping beside her, she couldn't help but think about what she'd seen earlier… and frown over it.

She'd only gotten the briefest glimpse before covering her eyes, but it had been enough to register that something just wasn't right with Gabriel… that he came with something other than the standard equipment. Which was possible of course, since he was a completely different species…

"I'm not curious," she whispered. "I'm not."

She turned over on her side and kissed Greg on the cheek. He stirred and mumbled in his sleep.

"Good night," she murmured to him, but it was a long time before she actually slept.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you want to know about that bloody feather Katherine found, Google "blood feather" for all the gory details. Yes, it's something that really happens to birds – believe it or not, I didn't make that up!